In trouble: Andrew Hore
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New Zealand's media expect "the book to be thrown at" Andrew Hore after the hooker was cited for an alleged strike on Wales forward Bradley Davies.
Hore appeared to catch Davies with a blow from behind early in Saturday's 33-10 Test victory over Wales, and has been cited by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for striking.
Veteran New Zealand rugby commentator Keith Quinn said Hore could expect a lenthy ban for the incident, which resulted in Wales second-row Davies being stretchered off the field and taken to hospital for precautionary examinations.
"Suddenly, just after the start of the game, there was this boneheaded act from Andrew Hore... I expect they'll throw the book at him," Quinn told Radio New Zealand.
Dominion Post rugby columnist Toby Robson said that with only one Test remaining in the All Blacks tour, against England on Saturday, Hore may as well pack his bags and return to New Zealand immediately.
"Whatever he was trying to achieve - let's give him the benefit of the doubt till his case is heard - the hooker must be handed a lengthy suspension," he wrote.
"It is an embarrassing situation for the New Zealand Rugby Union, with chief executive Steve Tew spending much of the past three weeks in Europe extolling the virtues of the All Blacks' brand."
The New Zealand Herald's Gregor Paul said: "Andrew Hore's act of stupidity will have confirmed in every Northern Hemisphere mind the long-held notion of the All Blacks as perennial thugs."
Comments
GreenDip says...
Hope he really does get the book thrown at him. Maximum penalty effective from the start of the next Super Rugby season if found guilty. But judging by IRB consistency standards it is unlikely he will be majorly inconvenienced.
Shame that the best rugby team in the world has to descend to that level, yet at the same time they whinge about Richie McCaw getting some overzealous treatment from the likes of Rougerie and Cooper. Pot, kettle and black are the terms that spring to mind.
Posted 11:39 26th November 2012
curlymac says...
hore will get a deserved 10 weeks or so, but you have to admit that other teams play just as ugly, every team has there meat heads who go a bit brain dead every now and then.
dirty play will always be in rugby as manipulating the ref and pushing the laws is a part of the game, but deliberately harming a player is way to far.
At least there is no flopping in rugby that would be worse.
Posted 10:46 26th November 2012
neilw90 says...
This was such a cynical move at the start of what could have been a good contest.
Posted 10:27 26th November 2012
russellgolf1 says...
The incident on Saturday with the assault by Hore on Davies has soured the whole weekend and even the tour of All Blacks. A team which are the best in the world are now being dismissed as unsporting thugs.
The reaction of Hanson initially and since aggrevates the situation graetly - the reaction in Wales is building - if this had happened at Twickenham it would be front page news - lucky for All blacks it was the smaller principality.
The general feeling is that the Police will be not carrying out their duties if there is not an investigation of assault.
Posted 10:24 26th November 2012
darthbok says...
no no no -- I fully expect bradley Davis to be banned for life for giving dirty looks --and Hore to be banned for 1 week -as he has a function on this weekend in new zealand - paddy o`briens birthday party --and paddy needs a good bouncer for this
Posted 10:15 26th November 2012
rugbydaft says...
NZ are not thugs it's was a stupid act and I can't believe the ass ref didn't see anything! He will get a ban as he should
Posted 10:14 26th November 2012
colvin says...
Well, I posted earlier that I thought Hore's swinging arm might have been accidental but I qualified that by saying I only saw a brief clip. But clearly now I've seen it properly it was a deliberate high swinging arm. Davies was lurking around offside interfering with the ABs drive into a maul and Hore whacked him I suspect to let him know not to do it again. I would like to think though that the final impact on Davies was not something Hore wanted but that is something for the judiciary to decide.But let's not make too much of it. Injuries have always happened and ABs have equally been on the receiving end. I can recall amongst many other instances Colin Meads with his arm broken in South Africa from a deliberate kick and Waka Nathan with his jaw broken from a punch while touring Britain.
Posted 09:58 26th November 2012
willem says...
This guy is dumber than Dean Greyling.
Posted 09:07 26th November 2012
chancer says...
How much longer do we have to accept this kind of thuggery from NZ players, it isn't an isolated incident. Meanwhile NZ supporters whine about violence being offered to Richie McCaw. Citing after the game is OK but the players continueing presence on the field was unacceptable, what were the officials looking at??
Posted 08:34 26th November 2012
lummie says...
Its sad to see a player of Hore's quality resort to such a dirty tactic especially when the team had to face the thuggery of Rougerie and Cooper last season and bite their lip. I think Andy will know have the summer to look back on that brain explosion which weakened his team at a time they needed him the most.
Posted 07:54 26th November 2012
Isograford says...
The long-held myth of perennial thugs more like. A bit like the old myth of poaching of Pacific Island talent when looking at the actual facts of where players are born and bred would suggest it's the 'Island' teams that poach NZ players.
Hore doesn't have a history of being a thug, stupid act yes, serial thug no. But why let the facts get in the way of the usual end of year All Black bashing.
Posted 07:51 26th November 2012
latehit says...
What was worse were the pictures of him having a chuckle whilst they were reviving Davies. A scrap is a scrap but a king hit from behind 30 seconds into the game is just poor form. I hope that the NZRU throw the book at him as well.
Posted 07:20 26th November 2012
AWEBLAX says...
In Andrews defence I would like to say, um nope I have nothing.
Sorry Northern Hemisphere but he and Adam Thompson lost the plot for a few short milliseconds. DOH!!!! No excuses just dumb arse acts........
Posted 07:14 26th November 2012
BokAvenger says...
Ha, ha, ha...don't worry my Kiwi chums. Uncle Paddy will just make a few phone calls to his cohorts at the IRB (isn't Lyndon Bray the IRB's chief ref these days) and hey presto, Hore wlll be magically cleared and his record expunged. The last thing the IRB wants is for its precious marketing gimmick to be made to look like the cheating thugs they are (remember `kevvy mealamu's headbutt? McCaw's assault on Rougerie? Bryan O'Driscoll's shoulder - the rap sheet goes on and on). All that money from Adidas and AIG might just dry up
Posted 06:47 26th November 2012
faustotesta says...
Very stupid act from a coward player. Shame on him for hitting a opponent wothout the ball from behind. I hope the AB send him immediately with a big kick in the ass.
Posted 06:43 26th November 2012
Melkiwi says...
Just goes to show that everyone including nz think the act was stupid and pointless but it's funny how a lot of people are saying that it is a ab tactic to target key players. Lets be honest davies is not a key player, he jumps well and is a ok carrier except when Kano is infront of him. Unfortunately teams including the abs are guilty of stupidity, it happens at all levels.
Posted 06:38 26th November 2012